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I just saw on the news today, 25July, that Southwest is withdrawing service from Newark EWR Liberty airport. And still they are increasing service to HI airports?
Yes, the plan is to redeploy some of the displaced aircraft to Hawaii flights
Hello,
Will there be flights out of Ontario to Hawaii?
thanks!
Hi EB.
As far as we have heard there will be no flights out of Ontario.
Aloha.
Sounds like Ontario is more of long-term plan although it was initially launched? Probably safer booking through Hawaiian if travelers live in So Cal?
I love Hawaii lived there 15 years but will never get on a MAX plane. I have about 400k southwest points which really upsets me. I was looking forward to having non overnight flights from phoenix finally but because of Boeing’s pursuit of profit over safety I’ll take an airbus.
Yes. I’m as equally pissed at Boeing and won’t fly MAX again. Truly, F-them. Sorry.
We are headed to Maui In January 15 to 25 2020, I have been holding out until SW August 5 announcement of there fare price from Sacramento or Oakland CA. Do you think it is worth waiting for. Flight seem a little high right now. Your thoughts please.
BTW I love reading all of your new’s
Thank you in advance for all you do
Matt M.
Hi Matt.
Thank you! Yes definitely suggest waiting. Lowest fares in those two markets for your dates start at $500. Target price might be $300-$350. Let us know how it goes.
Aloha.
Thanks to BOH for all the info. The situation sucks, but the info is good.
I am a Southwest A-List Preferred passenger in San Diego, and for the most a part, a SWA fan. The folks who are SWA haters may have had a single bad experience w/ SWA. I have been on 100 flights in the past 2 years and have to say they are consistently quite good. Friendly attendants and rarely late. Sometimes you get a flight attendant who is more about the rules than the service, but those are the exception. Worst thing about SWA is anything involving computers or software (inflight WiFi, web site, mobile app), but the flight experience is usually very good.
Those suggesting we use another airline don’t understand the situation because of SWA’s excellent rapid reward program. For SWA regulars, using another airline isn’t feasible. I cannot get a Hawaiian Airline flight for free (points only). Plus, with SWA, my wife doesn’t need to buy a ticket (companion pass).
So, this 737 MAX has really botched things up for SWA regulars in 2019. Not even looking at HI this year now, sadly.
Just for fun, I looked at Hawaiian Air prices and Southwest prices for an Xmas 2019 trip. Hawaiian Airlines: $730 round trip. Southwest Airlines: $1274. Of course, SWA is an 8+ hour trip due to the diversion to Oakland while H.A. is direct.
For a direct comparison, RT Oak-Honolulu is $1092 for H.A. and $1197 for SWA.
For me, SWA’s entire Hawaii program is a non-starter. My points will sit, waiting for SD-HI direct flights and true SWA discount pricing.
Really who cares. Alaska, Hawaiian , and United have some pretty good deals. The hype with Southwest and the cheap flights never really got a foothold and always had issues. Forget Southwest and move on, they are not all that to begin with.
Couldn’t agree more-
Nor are they safe for that matter. Alaska is the best way to go when traveling to and from Hawaii
I’m hearing rumors that Southwest has delayed the release of its next schedule from July 10 to August 15 (see quote below from southwestaircommunity.com).
“We are currently accepting air reservations through January 5, 2020. On August 15, 2019 we will open our schedule for sale through March 6, 2020. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.”
Can anyone confirm this?
I have flown Southwest Airlines for 30 years. The employees have always been outstanding. Their overall commitment to customer satisfaction is unequaled in the airline industry. Yes, I have flown other airlines: Alaska, Singapore, American, and a host of other airlines that, many times, have provided excellent service. The biggest difference between all the other airlines and Southwest is that I have ALWAYS received the same outstanding service. Day in and day out, flight after flight after flight, Southwest has always left me smiling. No, I do not and have not ever worked for Southwest Airlines or any of the companies that provide service to Southwest.
You are Right On! That’s most everything I would say about SW also. Thanks
Tried SWA and not that impressed. The Flight Attendants seemed to exhibit a pronounced lack of respect and insight
toward local values. They tried WAAY to hard to deliver a “Hawaiian” experience and failed miserably.
Typical of Southwest. They are a crappy airline and don’t provide all that great of a service even domestically
That’s why we Fly Alaska!! Very Trusted!!
true enough, based on my limited experience thus far (4 intra island flights). But I have to relate a baggage story:
I flew from the Big Island to Oahu and brought my outrigger canoe paddle. I had it in a soft sided travel bag. I rushed to baggage claim in Honolulu because I feared my paddle would be crushed between gigantic hard side bags and the carousel. I waited, but no paddle. when all the bags had been sorted out, I saw a Southwest baggage handler come into baggage claim with my paddle bag on her shoulder. She said they didn’t want my paddle damaged, so they hand packed it on Hilo, and pulled it off first thing when they got to Honolulu. The paddle was undamaged. I’ve never gotten such service from Hawai’ian, and they sponsor the Hoe and the Na Wahine o Ka Kai….
I have flown SWA many times and do like the airline. Having just returned from a trip using AA and Hawaiian I cant see using SWA for 6 hour flight. 2 to 3 hours is fine but for 5+ need to have option for extra leg room as well as Red eye for trip home
Their maintenance is not safe either. They have a culture of hurry, hurry rather than safety
As someone who works in the aviation industry I can tell you that the Max is not a safe aircraft. Nor is Southwest a safe airline. They rush through maintenance tasks and don’t care about safety. Not to mention they treat their employees like complete garbage. If you want a good, reliable flight to and from Hawaii I strongly suggest flying Alaska Airlines. Their first priority is safety at all times. They always treat both their customers and their employees with respect and provide friendly service every time you fly
I see your concern but Southwest has been flying for years and has had very few accidents. They both fly boeings very safe aircraft. I recently flew SWA to Hawaii and I had no problems.
Not true. Southwest has had a few incidents and accidents. They have always been under investigation by the FAA numerous times. I have seen first hand how they operate and it’s not safe
I’ve had no trouble ever flying on Southwest, but I don’t think I could get on a MAX plane. Can’t SWA get different planes to add to their fleet?
It may be time for SW to get some Airbus Planes in their fleet, instead of throwing all of the eggs in one Boeing basket. Diversify the fleet!
That’s why you fly Alaska to and from Hawaii. Both Airbus and Boeing in the fleet plus relatively cheap airfare and great service
Mike, when traveling with a family the No baggage fees are a huge plus. I hate paying an airline to carry something that everyone needs to travel with. It’s just plain silly to me. It’s almost the price of another ticket depending on the situation. I also hate paying $40 a night to park at Hotel too.
Chris, you hit the nail right on the head (at least for me)…even when the MAX plane is returned to service, there is NO WAY I’M GETTING ON A MAX PLANE TO FLY ANYWHERE FOR ANY PRICE…not even if you paid me!!! At the very least, the plane would have to be in service (and incident-free) for at least several years before I would even begin to consider flying on the MAX.
Wow! Couldn’t disagree more. I’ve been flying Southwest for 20 years and have friends who are employees. I’ve not heard them do anything but sing praises of their employer. Southwest’s customer service is superior to any airline out there. What I cannot speak to, however, is their attitude toward aircraft maintenance because as a consumer, I’m not knowledgeable about that. I can say that I’m not often delayed or experiencing canceled flights. Keep up the great information Beat of Hawai’i!
Hi Jess.
Thanks.
Aloha.
ALL airlines have and will continue to have “incidents” from time to time Mike G… and that is because ALL airlines are flying machines–machines that they do not design or build–machines that sometimes fail. (The recent 373Max disasters are a perfect example of this. Those crashes had nothing to do with the airlines or the mainteance crews or the flight crews.) These machines have specific maintenance and safety procedures which all airlines do and must follow–or they not only face FAA fines but huge lawsuits in the event of failures. NO airline can or does boast of a better overall safety record than SW per mile flown, per number of passengers, etc. Historically, Alaska has certainly lost more passengers quantitatively than SW… but again, those crashes/deaths have typically been attributable to either severe weather or mechanical failures that were related to either design flaws or materials failures–not necessarily lapses by mechanics or flight crews. So for you to make statements like “they (Southwest) rush through maintenance tasks and don’t care about safety” is cleary ridiculous and non supported by facts or history. ALL ground crews at ALL airlines perform mainance tasks as quickly and effectively as possible. If they are pressured by their bosses to cut corners–there are specific reporting procedures
And clearly you have an axe to grind w/ SW based on this and other comments you’ve made on this thread. Generally speaking, ALL airlines are and should be considered equivalently “safe”. If not–they would not and should not be operating planes at all… right? SW is beloved by most of their customers for many different reasons–but being “more safe” than other airlines is not necessarily one of them. You’ve never seen an ad by Southwest that touts their safety record… that would be absurd (and tempting fate).
Personally, I fly SW mainly because of their policies and procedures regarding booking and changing of flights–and their baggage policies. I can quickly and easily book a flight myself online–and change it quickly and easily myself–without any direct fees for the change. I can also cancel that flight completely if my plans change–and bank 100% of those funds for a future flight. If I book a flight and fares drop–I can (and have) re-booked the flight and gotten money back (towards future flights). Etc. And I can bring pretty much whatever I want onto the plane (ie “personal item, carry on, food, drink, etc)–and check a reasonably sized bag as well–all with no fees or hassle. (Try that on United on most flights. Many United fares allow NO carry on at all–and all but perhaps 1st class tickets require min $35 per bag fees and $100 to $200 change fees.) But that’s just me; other people have other reasons.
Right because, as I have said before, I couldn’t possibly have any direct insight on how Southwest runs their maintenance operation right? When the engine blew on the Southwest plane in early 2018 and sadly killed that woman, there were mechanics that laughed about it. Management never said a word about it either and pretended like nothing happened. That to me was and is completely unprofessional. When you rush through maintenance tasks and treat it like a production line, things can and have been missed. Sometimes with tragic consequences. Alaska just won the JD Power award for customer satisfaction for the 12th year in a row. They constantly rank as one of, if not the safest airline out there as they constantly preach safety above all else. So please, tell me again how southwest is so much better
Is Southwest still working towards interisland and direct flights from the mainland to Hilo?
When would these flights start to be available?
Thanks, Ken
Hi Ken.
All of the latest updates are contained here: https://beatofhawaii.com/southwest-hawaii-airline-update/.
Aloha.
After the Max is flying, will SWA actually use them for Hawaii flights, or will that just free up other a/c for the service?
Southwest plans to fly MAX jets to Hawaii, once they are back in service. This will enable them to eventually start longer flights such as PHX/LAS-Hawaii nonstop flights.
I don’t think passengers will be jumping for joy, or running in line to fly these max planes if they ever fly again. This is going to get really interesting.
When might SWA fly to Lihue from LAX or will they fly out of Burbank which is much nicer?
Also how does legroom compare SWA vs HAWAIAN?
Y
I just returned from a trip to Hawaii on Southwest. At this time, it is not easy to go from St. Louis to Hawaii. My outbound trip (STL->PHX->OAK->HNL) took 20 hours. It took about 17 hours on the return. Both trips had night layovers at the airport. I want to thank Oakland airport for changing their policy recently which allowed me to stay on the plane side between connecting flights. On my return (HNL->OAK->LAS->STL), I got into Oakland around midnight and my flight to Las Vegas was at 6am. Even though it was difficult to get any sleep, I felt safer. I am hoping the flight times improve. Hawaii is beautiful. I’d love to return some day.
Wow Jeanette! You are a better person than I am. I love Hawaii too, but I don’t think I could ever make that kind of trip voluntarily. You must have gotten one of the $99 fares.
You should fly Alaska next time. Better service and safer
safer?
I am in the STL area and had great hope to fly SWA to HNL.
Much to my disappointment, as you have described, there is currently no easy and time saving route. Further, I do hope for the future that they will add overnight flights- I prefer to have a return flight to the mainland at that time.
So, I guess American Airlines will remain my carrier to HNL until things change….
Do plans include direct flight to KOA from LAX?
Maybe it’s a good thing SWA is being slowed. On thurs June 13th , I tried parking at HNL and late mid morning there were just a few parking spots on the top of the International Garage ( next to Inter Island parking garage) and none in the inter island parking garage.
I’m not sure HNL can support much more traffic. Any intel on parking at HNL?
This wasn’t even a holiday weekend and the summer season isn’t in full swing yet.
I’m getting concerned about booking a flight and showing up and being unable to find parking.
Robin O. We have just returned from our vacation from Maui and flew Southwest out of Oakland. I have to say it was a terrific flight. Leg room, great crew and a smooth sail to the islands. They have done a great job so far getting people to and from the islands. The Southwest motto of two bags fly free and pick your own seat is great. The snack was fine and if one needs additional food they can bring on board. Thank you Beat of Hawaii for keeping us updated so often. Its much appreciated.
I flew back from Oahu June 19 and flew Southwest to Oakland, then to Houston. It was also a terrific flight. I did get a low fare on the first day they went on sale, thanks to Beat of Hawaii. Best Leg room and a great crew on all flights. The two bags fly free and pick your own seat works well and the snacks were great. Thank you Beat of Hawaii for all of the updates!
We did the exact flight in May and had a great experience as well!
Our flight originated in Memphis, TN to Oakland, CA and we stayed overnight at the Hilton Oakland Airport and left out early the next morning and was in Maui by 11:15 am Hawai’i time. We were well rested and had more legroom on SW than flying Delta previously. SW going to Hawaii is a huge cost difference for us and more comfy than Delta.
For us flying from the South on SWA, it is definitely worth the overnight stay and getting to Maui reasonably early to still have a good part of the day left to enjoy. If later on SWA adds additional flights leaving the West Coast later in the day or evening, that would prevent the overnight for us but I have to say that after we had a good nights rest in CA, we enjoyed our first day there more so than we have before after a long day of flying and connections of (12+ hours) on Delta or American.
Mahalo Beat of Hawaii for the updates! Always look forward to a new email from y’all!
Thanks for the SWA updates. Appreciate them.
Sadly, what I see now is a boost in ALL ticket pricing to Hawaii. Hesitated to book on Hawaiian with points and now number of points needed for our flights have increased by 20,000 EACH for RT. :0(
Same with SWA. It will now be nearly 100K miles RT in early December. YIKES! With these fare prices, we may be making our last trip to Hawaii this year. Sad, but true.
Question: Should I book at these prices or wait and hope? Going to be using points on either airline.
Love the updates. Keep them coming!
Hi Colleen.
Always appreciate hearing from you! Yes ticket prices have just gone up and it isn’t just to/from Hawaii (as you may have read). There will be deals ahead, and as you know, a lot of the Southwest Hawaii deals are shifting due to the Max grounding. They will be back, and we hope to see you more than once. 🙂
Aloha.
May hold off until August to book our December trip. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a price drop. There is always hope and we, too, hope this isn’t our last visit. WE LOVE HAWAII. It is the most pleasant place we have ever visited – so far. Of course, we don’t venture too far out of our comfort zone :0) We love the climate, landscape, water, people, food and I especially love the local musicians. Could you do a piece about how and where to find good local musicians on each island? Pretty Please? I know it isn’t exactly ‘travel’ material. See you in December!
Hi Colleen.
Yes there will be better prices if you wait. We have put that request on our list of posts to do and will certainly mention you when we put it up.
Aloha.
Mahalo, Do appreciate all your hard work!!
Hi Colleen.
You know we appreciate you too!
Aloha.
I am planning a trip next June from Minneapolis to KOA. Which airline has the best deals out of MSP and when is the best time to purchase?
Remember. You can always book and cancel no penalty. And then get cheaper price. I do it all the time
We have been waiting for direct flights from SMF to Oahu with different time choices. We live in Vacaville, SMF is much closer and prettier than Oakland or SFO.
Aloha BOH,
Are you receiving compensation from Southwest in anyway? I can cannot count how many times you’ve been advertising the Southwest product. I’ve never seen any media outlet advertise so much as you.
Thank you. Helen
Hi Helen.
No we are not. Our posts are not paid by advertisers, and solely reflect our own opinion.
Aloha.
Please start flying out of Ontario to the isalnds, someone! Pretty please!
Aloha,
I am hoping to fly from San Diego to Honolulu in early November. I want to fly first class. Do you have any tips on how to get a good deal on first class or is that even possible?
thank you,
Patti E
Hi Patti.
$978 RT on Alaska in early November. That’s about as good as it’s going to get. Suggest buying if schedule works for you.
Aloha.
Today, when I called Southwest and asked again about the Lihue service, this is what they’re saying now: “No, the MAX 8 flight situation will not affect any delays to Lihue. We (SouthwestAir) received ETOPS authorization from the FAA to serve Hawaii with the 737-800, which is not the same aircraft type as the 737 MAX 8.” What’s taking a long time, their spokesperson said, is the scheduling and other logistical constraints about getting other aircraft ready for Lihue. I definitely got the feeling from them it was coming this fall.
Hello, and thank you for your continuing updates to SWA’s plans.
My family is traveling to Hawaii in December this year. We’ve recently booked our tickets to and from Hawaii, but have not booked our inter island flights yet. Has Southwest indicated that they would provide a nonstop flight from Kona to Maui versus their current offerings of connecting through Honolulu (3+ hr flight duration)?
Would you recommend that we look to towards other airlines for this inter island flight or should we wait and see what’s in store at Southwest’s next schedule release date (7/10)?
Appreciate your insight!
Hi Todd.
Suggest you look elsewhere. That route isn’t going to be happening in the near future, if ever.
Aloha.
What is the secret to catching those $99 fares? Check every day? I never saw them the first time. Thank you
Hi Linda.
As soon as they next appear, we will be publishing them.
Aloha.
Hello everyone,
What might be the chances that Southwest will add a direct SJC – LIH flight before end of the year?
Thanks,
Tim
Hi Tim.
This is just guessing time. We’d suggest the odds of that are 20-25%.
Aloha.
How about guesstimated timeframe for SFO to LIH?
Any guess as to when Southwest will release flights beyond Jan 5th, 2020?
We’ve booked our flights using American Airlines miles one-way on a direct flight from PHX to LIH in October. We’re just waiting for SWA to open up the LIH schedule to book the return, hoping we can get a deal on SWA November 6. If nothing happens with SWA flights for LIH by around mid September, we’ll book Hawaiian for the return. Just can’t do that all night flight back to PHX on other carriers, anymore.
Hello,
I’m looking to travel from the east coast to Kona during Christmas break 12/19/19-01/02/20 and wondered if I should book now or wait for anymore deals that might arise between now and then. Thanks for your input!
Hi Cassie.
You should book now. There are no deals for Christmas. It just doesn’t work that way. Don’t forget to get car and accommodations right away as well. Essential.
Aloha.
It will be great when Southwest starts flying nonstop from Detroit (DTW) to HLN or OGG. We can’t wait!!!! We appreciate the updates and look forward to inexpensive inner island flights so we can actually island hop affordably in January and February 2020
I am a retired 737 Captain, and I will have NO qualms about flying on the Max once it’s released for flight. In the USA, our pilots are trained to the highest standards in the world, and the MAX will be as safe as any other transport aircraft, without a doubt.
Hi, thanks for your continuing updates to SWA’s plans.
I would think that once the FAA clears Boing-max aircraft for use, all SWA would have to do is offer a very inexpensive fare on those aircraft (perhaps 1/2 the cost of same flight on a different aircraft). Market demand will fill the seats, I’m sure. Some may never fly the Boeing max planes, but I’ll bet a cheap fare will over-ride reluctance any day.
Thanks!
Hi Dan.
Thanks. That’s what we are thinking and saying as well. Some may not fly it for a while, but they will have no problem filling those planes.
Aloha.
have been waiting since 6am EST for schedule Nov to Jan 2020 to upload. Has there been a delay again? Planning to fly out Christmas week
Good evening and thank you. My wife and I will be in Hawaii to celebrate our anniversary in mid October 2019. I have already secured a flight from Honolulu to Maui via Southwest. From Maui we intend to go to Kauai and then back to Honolulu for our return trip to New York. What is the likelihood that Southwest will be flying from Maui to Kauai and on to Honolulu by that time? I’ve been looking at flights from Maui to Kauai and have found that Hawaiian Air is selling for over $100 one way. I would expect Southwest to come in with a lower cost. Should I wait to purchase in hope that Southwest will be offering October flights to Kauai from Maui or bite the bullet on current offerings? Thank you for all the information and assistance that you provide.
Hi Robert.
Maui to Kauai isn’t a likely single route for Southwest, at least early on. It will probably be two flights connecting on Oahu. That’s true for many of the Hawaiian flights as well, with just a few non-stops. Those are at a premium but are well worth it in terms of saving time. Thus would suggest buying that from HA.
Aloha.
What Boeing ought to do to assuage their biggest customer is to arrange for some retired 738s to be sent to Southwest on very favorable leases until the MAX is back and certified. Deployed on just a few routes and quickly ETOPs certified, they could take up the load until the MAX is back, especially if we’re looking at a fall or early winter return to service. If its sooner, then I’m sure Boeing will simply pay some form of compensation and let that be that as the costs of ETOPs certification on these putative leased birds would be high.
Whatever the solution, the title is correct – Boeing has really hosed Southwest, as well as
Will the tickets be cheap again when they announce tomorrow? I checked with them and they were super pricey!
Roughly what is the time frame Southwest releases the calendar update? Early morning, late evening?? Mahalo for any and all help!! Brendan
Hi Brendan.
We’re not 100% sure, but it should be by about 9am EDT.
Aloha.
Mahalo nui!!!!! You were dead on with the time as well!!! It took a little bit for all the pages to load up, but scored 4 round trip tickets home over Christmas/New Year’s for $760 each!! Normally if tickets were over $600 I would freak out, but we all know how the price gouging works with the airlines around the holidays!! I cannot thank you enough for the heads up yesterday, I was ready to go on my computer first thing this morning!!
Hi Brendan.
So glad that worked out for you and thanks for the nice words. Much appreciated!
Aloha.
Just doing my daily check on SWA. It looks like some of the calendar is being populated from Honolulu to Sacramento. Only a few dates in November, December and January, and nothing going from Sacramento to Honolulu yet…… Odd??
I currently have a SWA one way Oakland to Maui for nov 2 2019, furthest out i could book. If/when the next itinerary opens up tomorrow, will it include Maui back to Oakland?
Hi Ms.
Yes they will be selling tickets until early January starting tomorrow.
Aloha.
Hello to all
I am a mechanic at Boeing, working on the 737 airplanes, and I will most definitely fly on the Max’s as soon as the grounding is lifted!! It’s amazing to me reading the fear and ignorance most are sharing. Things they obviously know very little about!!
The media only reports controversy, period. Safety is paramount, absolutely. That is the reason the FAA grounded the planes, but only to ensure safety, not because of physical airplane problems. I have no fear or concern of flying on MAX airplanes!
Steve G
I 100% agree with you Steve. The media has hyped this up so badly as they do everything else. Not to mention, if a little more research is done, one will find that the Max only makes up, at this point 5% of the Southwests fleet. Having a brother who is a mechanic for Alaska airlines, he has said nearly the exact things you have. The plane (Max) is just fine. A lot of knowitalls out there who know nothing! Nice to have good guys like you and my brother to keep these people in line.
Jeff
Steve G. that sounds like a really well written PR Statement that Boeing does across a tone of web pages that have a mass following, and any negative statement regarding the Max. The FAA took way to long to ground those planes, and they only did it under pressure from the public and the media. They did not voluntary do it, that is for sure.
We are taking our family to Kaua’i in mid-June 2020. Two questions:
1) Will we be able to fly out of Oakland non-stop to Kaua’i?
2) The other families lives in Chicago. Can I book two different itineraries for them from MDW – OAK and then OAK – LIH?
I’m an A-List Rapid Reward member and should have a lot of additional points in my account before I book those flights next year (or when the schedule is available). Will I be able to use both my Companion Pass for my husband as we always do? Will I be able to use points to book at least part of the kids’ trips to OAK and/or LIH?
We are thrilled that SWA is flying to the Hawaiian Islands and we are not afraid to fly on the Max equipment. Thank you.
Hi Sandra.
1. Not sure what they will decide to do regarding Kauai non-stop vs 1-stop.
2. Yes you can book as two separate reservations.
Re companion pass, you should be able to use that or points.
Aloha.